Dropper bottle and accessories therefor

ABSTRACT

To overcome shortcomings of the prior art, the subject invention is provided which includes various dropper bottle designs and dropper bottle assemblies including accessories for dropper bottles. With certain aspects of the subject invention, improvements in the administration of eye drops is provided by adding accessories or modifications to conventional dropper bottles, so that doses and/or single drops may be administered in a repeatable and reliable manner. More specifically, certain embodiments use devices ( 10, 300 ) to restrict the amount the dropper bottle ( 12 ) is deformed in administering a dose; other embodiments rely on mechanical reduction of interior volume (without deformation of the dropper bottle ( 12 )) to administer a dose, such as with a displaceable piston ( 500, 602 ); and, yet, a further embodiment provides a valving arrangement ( 402, 404 ) to limit a dose. Features ( 200 ) are also included which aid in the alignment of the dropper bottle&#39;s nozzle to the eye, and a feature ( 102 ) is provided for protecting the user&#39;s eye from potential damage which can occur if a pointed nozzle ( 104 ) is brought into contact with the eye during alignment. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein may be used singularly or in various combinations.

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 60/401,397, filed Aug. 6, 2002.

Conventional dropper bottles for administering ophthalmic fluid are wellknown in the prior art. The basic commercial design of such dropperbottles has remained fairly unchanged over the last several decades: asqueezable container is provided with a tapered dispenser thatterminates in a discharge aperture. To administer ophthalmic fluid, thedischarge aperture is aligned above a target eye and the bottle issqueezed to urge out a drop or dose of the fluid.

Although the conventional design is widely used, it suffers from severaldrawbacks. Primarily, dose volume is difficult to repeatedly control, inpart, because a proper amount of squeeze force is difficult torepeatedly apply to the dropper bottle. Also, accurate control over andtargeting of dose placement are difficult to obtain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome shortcomings of the prior art, the subject invention isprovided which includes various dropper bottle designs and dropperbottle assemblies including accessories for dropper bottles. Withcertain aspects of the subject invention, improvements in theadministration of eye drops is provided by adding accessories ormodifications to conventional dropper bottles, so that doses and/orsingle drops may be administered in a repeatable and reliable manner.More specifically, certain embodiments restrict the amount the dropperbottle is deformed in administering a dose; other embodiments rely onmechanical reduction of interior volume (without deformation of thedropper bottle) to administer a dose, such as with a displaceablepiston; and, yet, a further embodiment provides a valving arrangement tolimit a dose. Further features are included which aid in the alignmentof the dropper bottle's nozzle to the eye, and also protect the user'seye from potential damage which can occur if a pointed nozzle is broughtinto contact with the eye during alignment. As will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art, the various aspects and embodiments disclosedherein may be used singularly or in various combinations.

Unless indicated otherwise, any conventional dropper bottle design andcomponent may be utilized with the subject invention. It should also beunderstood that reference to a “nozzle” does not require that aconverging discharge passage be provided. Any shaped discharge passagecan be utilized with the subject invention consistent with the followingdescription. The subject invention is particularly well-suited forophthalmic applications (i.e., dispensing of eye-related fluids).

These and other features of the subject invention will be betterunderstood through a study of the following detailed description andaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-3 show a dropper bottle assembly including a cradle forcontrollably deforming the dropper bottle in causing dose administrationtherefrom;

FIG. 4 is a dropper bottle similar to that of FIGS. 1-3 but with acollar disposed about its nozzle;

FIG. 5 is a dropper bottle similar to that of FIGS. 1-3 but with anangled nozzle;

FIGS. 6-8 show the assembly and operation of a webbed structure in adropper bottle for limiting deformation of the dropper bottle;

FIGS. 9-11 show a dropper bottle having a tube therein with a checkvalve ball; and,

FIGS. 12-16 show different piston configurations for reducing theinterior volume of a dropper bottle in causing dose administrationtherefrom.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Several embodiments of the subject invention are directed to the problemthat most current dropper bottles require the bottle to be deformed,e.g. squeezed, in order to generate pressure inside the bottle and,thereby, expel a dose or drop. This practice is problematic because theuser is often unable to determine how hard to press the bottle, and forhow long a period of time, so that a single drop is expelled. Usually,more than one drop is expelled, which may be wasteful and messy.

With reference to FIGS. 1-3, and in a first aspect of the subjectinvention, a cradle 10 is depicted which is formed to mount onto adropper bottle 12 preferably by resiliently snapping onto the bottle 12at the neck 14 and base 16. Preferably, the cradle 10 is formed of aresilient material, more preferably, a resilient thermoplastic. Mountingof the cradle 10 onto the neck 14 is facilitated by the provision of ahole 18 formed large enough to allow the bottle 12 to partially passtherethrough. In particular, the neck 14 of the bottle 12 may passthrough the hole 18; preferably, however, the hole 18 is sized to notallow the passage therethrough of the reservoir 20 of the bottle 12.Once the cradle 10 is mounted, the bottle neck 14 is preferably pushedoff-center from the hole 18 (FIG. 3) due to pressure exertedtransversely by a portion 22 of cradle lever 24 against an outer wall 23that defines the reservoir 20. The bottle 12 is further confined by sideplate 11 of the cradle 10. The portion 22 presses the bottle 12 againstinner surface 13 of the side plate 11. Preferably, the portion 22 isbent. In addition, the lower end 26 of the cradle 10 may seat in anindentation 28 in the base 16 of the bottle 12 and resiliently pressthereagainst. As such, the cradle 10 preferably traps the bottle 12 atmultiple points: at the hole 18; at the portion 22; at the inner surface13; and at the lower end 26 of the cradle 10. As will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art, the cradle 10 may be configured otherwise tomount onto the dropper bottle 12. The cradle 10 may be formed to beremovable so as to be re-used with other dropper bottles or formed to benon-removably mounted to the dropper bottle, thus requiring to bediscarded with a spent dropper bottle.

In use, free end 30 of the cradle lever 24 is pressed towards the bottle12 as the bottle 12 is inverted to deliver one or more drops. As thefree end 30 is pressed inwardly, and as shown in FIG. 2, the portion 22indents a side of the reservoir 20 adjacent to the neck 14, thusdeforming the outer wall 23 and reducing the volume of the reservoir 20.As a result, one or more drops may be controllably expelled. The dosageamount may be fixed to a predetermined extent of movement of the cradlelever 24, such as by example, restricting movement of the cradle lever24 with a stop member. Optionally, at the point where the predetermineddrop(s) are expelled (i.e., at a predetermined extent of movement of thecradle lever 24), the user may be alerted to a complete dosing wherein atoe 32 of the cradle lever 24 may nest into a recess 34 defined in thelower end 26, with an audible and/or tactile ‘click’ indicating that thedesired drop(s) have been released from the bottle 12. Upon detectingthis ‘click’, the user may release the free end 30 of the lever 24,which returns back to its fully open rest position (shown in FIG. 1).Preferably, hinge 25 provides a biasing force to urge the lever 24 tothe rest position as shown in FIG. 1, where the dropper bottle 12 isundeformed or substantially undeformed. Further drops may then bereleased. Preferably, the hinge 25 also exerts a biasing force to pressthe portion 22 against the outer wall 23 without causing deformation orsubstantial deformation of the reservoir 20 so that unwanted dosing isavoided. To achieve this structure, the cradle 10 can be formed with theportion 22 in its natural state so as to overlap the reservoir 20.Likewise, the lower end 26 of the cradle 10 may be formed to overlap thereservoir 20.

As shown in FIG. 4, and in a second aspect of the subject invention, anozzle 100 may be provided on the dropper bottle 12 which is at leastpartially surrounded by a protruding outer collar 102. Preferably, thecollar 102 terminates in a generally flat free end 106, and, morepreferably, the free end 106 is disposed generally normally to centralaxis CA of the nozzle 100. Also, the collar 102 is preferably annular.The collar 102 encompasses a volume in which tip 104 of the nozzle islocated. As a result, the collar 102 projects beyond the tip 104 of thenozzle 100 such that, if contact is made with an eye during use, theouter collar 102 will contact the eye and not the nozzle tip 104. Thefree end 106 at the front of the collar 102 will be less likely to causethe user any eye damage than the sharper nozzle tip 104. The nozzle 100may be constructed from plastics such as polyethylene or polypropylene,or softer elastomers may be used as a further safety measure.

In a third aspect of the subject invention, a nozzle of a dropper bottle(e.g. nozzle 100) may be colored to further aid in the alignmentprocess. As such, the nozzle 100 is non-transparent and non-translucentand provided with a non-white color. Colors are more easily visible tothe eye than the colorless plastics used in conventional dropper bottlenozzles and a colored nozzle will be easier to visually align. Thenozzle 100 may also be of a different color from its associatedreservoir to provide additional contrast and improved visibility of thenozzle 100. Further, colors may be used for the nozzle 100 or around thenozzle 100 to denote the contents of the dropper bottle.

As a further aid to alignment, as shown in FIG. 5, nozzle 200 may bedirected at an angle to aid the placement of drops into the eye. Here,discharge aperture 202 is spaced from a central axis CB of reservoir 20.Preferably, the nozzle 200 is formed symmetrically along at least aportion of a central axis CD which is angularly disposed to the centralaxis CB. Angle α is defined between the central axes CD and CB and maybe in the range of greater than 0° to approximately 135°.

In a fourth aspect of the subject invention, and with reference to FIGS.6-8, a device 300 is provided which limits the degree of deformation ofthe dropper bottle 12 to such an amount necessary to expel one dose ordrop. The device 300 includes at least one, preferably a series of,outwardly-extending webs 302, like tree branches, which project from acentral column 304 that is in communication with nozzle 306 and thereservoir 20. Preferably, the central column 304 is fixed to the nozzle306, such as by being formed integrally therewith, in forming the device300. Any method may be used to fix the device 300 to the bottle 12including an interference fit in the neck 14 of the bottle 12. A lockingdetent 308 may also be provided to enhance the fixation of the device300 to the bottle 12.

The column 304 may optionally be formed with one or more apertures 310,as shown in FIG. 8, to communicate the interior of the column 304 withthe reservoir 20.

By way of non-limiting example, for installation, the device 300 may beinserted through the neck 14 with the webs 302 bending backwards throughthe neck 14 (FIG. 6) and returning to their original shape (FIG. 7)whilst in the reservoir 20 after installation. As shown in FIG. 8, onceinstalled, the webs 302 are shaped and configured to limit the amount ofdeformation of the outer wall 23 to a predetermined amount in limitingthe amount to be dosed (FIG. 8).

Although the webs 302 may be formed sufficiently resilient to passthrough the neck 14, the webs 302 need sufficient strength incompression to resist buckling and excessive deformation of the outerwall 23. It is preferred that the webs 302 be disposed generallynormally to the generally cylindrical portion of the outer wall 23.Also, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the webs 302can be formed as annular discs as shown in the Figures or in othervarious configurations and supported in any manner.

In a fifth aspect of the subject invention, and as shown in FIGS. 9-11,a device 400 is provided which limits the amount of liquid dispensed bya dropper bottle 12 to one drop or dose. The device 400 generallyincludes a check valve ball 402 which is free to run within a tube 404.The tube 404 extends from nozzle 406 and has a number of slots oropenings 408 formed therethrough which allow fluid communication betweeninside 409 of the tube 406 and the reservoir 20. Also, the end of thetube 406 may be spaced from the outer wall 23, such as at the base 16,with the tube 404 communicating with the reservoir 20 via spacing 401.Preferably, the tube 404 is formed to continuously maintain the ball 402therewithin. As such, the openings 408 and the spacing 401 may be sizedto not permit passage therethrough of the ball 402. The end of the tube404 adjacent to the nozzle 406 has a first section 410 sized to receivethe ball 402 therewithin so as to form a fluid seal therewith. Portionsof the tube 404 adjacent the first section 410 are generally larger thanthe first section 410. The first section 410 communicates with dischargepassage 412 of the nozzle 406 and preferably encompasses a volume atleast equal to a single dose to be administered by the dropper bottle12.

In use, the ball 402 drops to the bottom of the bottle 12 when thebottle is upright and rested on its base 16 (FIG. 9). As the bottle 12is inverted for use (with the nozzle 406 being directed downwards)(FIGS. 10-11), liquid in the reservoir 20 enters the openings 408 toflood the inside of the tube 404, and the ball 402 drops down throughthe tube 404 towards the nozzle 406. As the ball 402 reaches the firstsection 410, the first section 410 is already flooded and fully chargedwith liquid (FIG. 10). The ball 402 generally seals the first section410 from remaining portions of the tube 404. By applying pressure to thewall of the reservoir 20 (such as with normal drop administration),fluid within the reservoir 20 is pressurized which forces the ball 402through a defined stroke of the first section 410. In turn, the ball 402displaces fluid along its path through the first section 410 resultingin an expelled drop of equal volume to the swept volume of the ball 402(swept volume being the displaced volume during travel of the ball 402).In other words, the ball 402 generally displaces the full volume of thefirst section 410. As the ball 402 reaches the end of travel it willshut-off against a seat 414 and no more liquid can be expelled (FIG.11). Thereafter, the dropper bottle 12 can be righted and the processrepeated.

In a sixth aspect of the subject invention, an alternative to the abovemeans of expelling a drop by deformation of a dropper bottle is providedby a piston 500 as shown in FIGS. 12-13. In this configuration, thepiston 500 is displaceable from an initial position as shown in FIG. 12,and towards, possibly into, the reservoir 20 to an actuated position asshown in FIG. 13, so as to reduce the interior volume of the dropperbottle 12. Accordingly, a pressure rise is created in the bottle 12, andthis rise in pressure causes a drop or dose to be expelled from thebottle 12 when the bottle 12 is inverted for use. As will be appreciatedby those skilled in the art, the bottle 12 need not be deformable, sincedeformation is not required for dose administration.

The piston 500 extends through piston bore 502 which may be formedthrough plug 506 or the outer wall 23. To facilitate assembly, it ispreferred that nozzle 508 be unitarily formed with the plug 506. Theplug 506 may be fixed to the bottle 12 using any known method includingan interference fit in the neck 14 of the bottle 12. A locking detent510 may also be provided to enhance the fixation of the plug 506 to thebottle 12. Any known technique may be used to seal the piston bore 502from leaking with the piston 500 being slidably disposed therein. Forexample, piston seal 517 may be provided as is known in the art to sealagainst the wall of the piston bore 502.

It is preferred that a spring 512 be provided to urge the piston 500 toan initial position, as shown in FIG. 12. As such, after use and releaseof the piston 500, the piston 500 may return to its initial position andbe ready for subsequent dosing. Also, a shoulder 514 may be formed atthe end of the piston bore 502 to coact with stop member 516 on thepiston 500 to prevent excessive rearward movement of the piston 500under force of the spring 512. A button 518 may further be provided onthe piston 500 to provide a good surface against which a user may applypressure in displacing the piston 500.

With reference to FIGS. 14-16, and as a variation of the sixth aspect ofthe subject invention, a device 600 is provided which includes a nozzle602 that acts as a piston. More specifically, the nozzle 602 isdisplaceable within the bottle 12 to reduce the interior volume thereof.The nozzle 602 is disposed to translate within the neck 14. The nozzle602 is formed with a discharge aperture 605 at one end in communicationwith an inlet opening 607 at the other end. Upon displacing the nozzle602 downwardly to an actuated position as shown in FIG. 15, pressurewithin the interior volume of the dropper bottle 12 is increasedresulting in fluid being displaced from the interior of the dropperbottle 12 through the nozzle 602 via the inlet opening 607 and out thedischarge aperture 605. Piston seal 614 may be provided to cooperatewith the neck 14 in defining a seal therewith. As with the previousdesign, the dropper bottle 12 need not be deformable.

The nozzle 602 is preferably biased by a spring 612 to an initial stateas shown in FIG. 14. Shoulder 616 and stop member 618 can be provided tocoact and prevent excessive rearward movement of the nozzle 602 underforce of the spring 612.

Optionally, cradle 604 may be provided to facilitate actuation of thenozzle 602. The cradle 604 is preferably formed to resiliently snapabout the dropper bottle 12 at the nozzle 602 and the bottle base 16,and is used to impart inward motion to the nozzle 602 (downward motiontowards the base 16). To this end, a free end 606 of the cradle 604 ispressed transversely towards the bottle 12. As a result, a forked end608 of the free end 606 translates across at least one rounded face 610of the nozzle 602. As best shown in FIG. 16, the forked end 608 maystraddle tip 609 of the nozzle 602 and provide stability of the cradle604 relative to the dropper bottle 12. As the forked end 608 translates,the forked end 606 drives the nozzle 602 against the spring 612 (in thedirection of the base 16) so that the nozzle 602 moves downwardly. Thisdownward translation is achieved by the rotation of the forked end 608about pivot 611. The rotation in effect shortens the radius of theforked end 608 in relation to the pivot 611, thus causing increasedforce to be applied against the rounded face 610. The interface ofrounded surfaces between the forked end 608 and the rounded face 610 isdesired to limit resistant frictional forces being defined therebetween.Upon release, the spring 612 urges the nozzle 602 upwardly. The memoryof pivot 611 may also urge the cradle 604 to its initial state as shownin FIG. 14. It is preferred that the cradle 604 be formed of a resilientmaterial, such as a resilient thermoplastic. To achieve a resilientholding force, the cradle 604 may be formed to overlap portions of thedropper bottle 12.

As is readily apparent, numerous modifications and changes may readilyoccur to those skilled in the art, and hence it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction operation as shown anddescribed, and accordingly, all suitable modification equivalents may beresorted to falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

1. A dropper bottle assembly comprising: a dropper bottle including aninterior volume; and, a cradle mounted to said dropper bottle, saidcradle including a movable lever arm, wherein movement of said lever armcauses a first portion of said lever arm to deform said dropper bottlein reducing said interior volume of said dropper bottle, wherebyreduction of said interior volume causes fluid to be administered fromsaid dropper bottle.
 2. An assembly as in claim 1, wherein said cradleincludes a second portion defining a recess, and a second portion beingformed on said lever arm to nest within said recess upon a predeterminedextent of movement of said lever arm.
 3. An assembly as in claim 2,wherein said second portion of said lever arm creates an audible signalupon nesting within said recess.
 4. An assembly as in claim 1, whereinsaid cradle includes a second portion, said lever arm being hingedlyconnected to said second portion.
 5. An assembly as in claim 4, whereinsaid hinged connection urges said lever arm to a rest position wheresaid dropper bottle is undeformed or substantially undeformed.
 6. Anassembly as in claim 4, wherein said lever arm includes a free end, saidfirst portion of said lever arm being located intermediate said hingedconnection and said free end.
 7. An assembly as in claim 4, wherein saidsecond portion includes an aperture, said dropper bottle including aneck, said aperture being larger than said neck.
 8. An assembly as inclaim 7, wherein said first portion of said lever arm being formed topressingly engage said dropper bottle to cause a portion of said neck topressingly engage said second portion of said cradle located adjacentsaid aperture.
 9. An assembly as in claim 1, wherein said dropper bottleincludes an indented bottom surface, a second portion of said cradlebeing formed to seat within and press against said indented bottom. 10.A dropper bottle comprising a reservoir, a nozzle in fluid communicationwith said reservoir, said nozzle terminating in a discharge aperture,and a collar at least partially bounding said nozzle.
 11. A dropperbottle as in claim 10, wherein said collar encompasses a volume, saiddischarge aperture being located within said volume.
 12. A dropperbottle as in claim 10, wherein said collar is annular.
 13. A dropperbottle as in claim 10, wherein said collar terminates in a generallyflat free end.
 14. A dropper bottle as in claim 13, wherein said freeend is disposed generally normally to a central axis of said nozzle. 15.A dropper bottle comprising a reservoir and a nozzle in fluidcommunication with said reservoir, said nozzle being non-transparent andnon-translucent and being formed with a non-white color.
 16. A dropperbottle as in claim 15, wherein said reservoir is of a different colorfrom said nozzle.
 17. A dropper bottle comprising a reservoir formedabout a central axis, and a nozzle in fluid communication with saidreservoir, said nozzle terminating in a discharge aperture, saiddischarge aperture being spaced from said central axis.
 18. A dropperbottle as in claim 17, wherein said nozzle is formed symmetrically alongat least a portion of a second central axis, said second central axisbeing angularly disposed relative to said first-mentioned central axis.19. A dropper bottle comprising a reservoir, and at least one webdisposed in said reservoir so as to limit deformation of said reservoir.20. A dropper bottle as in claim 19 further comprising a nozzle, and acolumn in fluid communication with said reservoir and said nozzle, saidat least one web extending transversely from said column.
 21. A dropperbottle as in claim 20, wherein a plurality of webs extend from saidcolumn.
 22. A dropper bottle as in claim 20, wherein said column isintegrally formed with said nozzle.
 23. A dropper bottle as in claim 20,wherein said reservoir is defined by an outer wall, said nozzle beingfixed to said outer wall.
 24. A dropper bottle comprising a reservoir, anozzle in fluid communication with said reservoir, a tube in fluidcommunication with said reservoir and said nozzle, and, a check valveball disposed in said tube.
 25. A dropper bottle as in claim 24, whereina first section of said tube configured so as to define a seal with saidcheck valve ball, portions of said tube adjacent said first sectionbeing larger in diameter than said first section.
 26. A dropper bottleas in claim 25, wherein said first section of said tube encompasses avolume at least equal to a dose to be administered by the dropperbottle.
 27. A dropper bottle as in claim 25, wherein said first sectionbeing the most proximate portion of said tube to said nozzle.
 28. Adropper bottle as in claim 24, wherein said tube being formed tocontinuously maintain said check valve ball therewithin.
 29. A dropperbottle as in claim 28, wherein at least one aperture is formed in saidtube to communicate said tube with said reservoir, said at least oneaperture being smaller in size than said check valve ball.
 30. A dropperbottle as in claim 28, wherein said tube extends into said reservoir andinto proximity to an outer wall defining said reservoir so as to definea spacing between said tube and said outer wall, said reservoircommunicating with said tube via said spacing, said spacing being sizedto not permit passage therethrough of said check valve ball.
 31. Adropper bottle comprising an interior volume, a discharge aperture influid communication with said interior volume, and a displaceablepiston, wherein said piston is displaceable from an initial position toan actuated position, the volume of said interior volume being less withsaid piston in said actuated position than in said initial position,whereby reduction of said interior volume causes fluid to beadministered from said dropper bottle.
 32. A dropper bottle as in claim31, wherein said piston is connected to said discharge aperture so as tobe displaced in concert therewith.
 33. A dropper bottle as in claim 31further comprising a biasing means to urge said piston to said initialposition.